One in the Same
by Zacatecas
Summary: Fairy tales and legends aren't without some merit of truth behind them. When one such myth resurfaces, the legacy and survival of a forgotten people is now in the hands of a select few whom have the power to either save Remnant, or finish what their ancestors couldn't. Each will take sides, but there will be no stalemates this time around.
1. Awakening

Cold, partially windy, clear skies, and the splashing waves against the docks; a common night in Menagerie. Many slept peacefully, others stayed up to enjoy the sight of the moon. On nights such as these, the problems of everyday life could almost be forgotten. Though, in such a world like Remnant, where legends and stories often carry a slither of truth, an old legend, one nearly forgotten to all but a few, awakens. The ground shook, first softly, then, just as quickly as it began, violently. The shaking continued for a few seconds more before eventually stopping almost instantly. In their recovery from the initial shake, a deafening explosion from farther inland echoed across Menagerie. Scouts from villages bordering the desert reported smoke coming from what seemed like the center of their continent.

A small expedition group was assembled quickly in an effort to investigate before the other kingdoms caught wind of this incident. Nearly two hundred Faunus hunters made their way across the desert; their target was a large plummet of smoke, no fire, rising from where the incident occurred. It took two days of rationing and walking, but the small group managed to reach the site of the incident, only to find what looked like the collapse of an entire desert floor. Within the large gaping hole was what seemed like buildings once hidden by the sand, uncovered by...something. The hunters made camp outside the ruins and were quick to explore the site before it became a hotspot for the other kingdoms to send their own scientists to study. As the group continued to explore, they stumbled upon what seemed like a subterranean temple, given the symbols and statues adorned on the entrance, few murmured guesses of a religious now order lost to time. Whatever treasures within this structure might have remained untouched, though it surprised the leader of the group that a civilization existed in this barren desert. Taking into account the wildlife and Grimm; whatever people settled here either lived her for a great number of years or was wiped out shortly after being established. Though, what bothered many, were the sizes of the buildings, the doorways stood taller than an Ursa. As if they were made to house a race of giants. Perhaps it did, and they perished here. There was little information of past settlers in Menagerie, much less an ancient civilization. Yet, if they did perish, where were the remains?

"Listen up!" The chieftain yelled out, catching the attention of his group. "Comb the area, be cautious, stay alert, and take anything of value that you can carry, but don't go too far." The group acknowledged their leader's orders and scrambled to scavenge the area.

"Chief." The chieftain of this group turned one of the huntresses. "We request to take a small group and go explore the larger structure."

"No, we don't know what, if anything could still be in there. It's best we keep our team outside and-" before he could finish, the echoes of multiple howls startled the hunters, forcing their attention to the source of the howls. From the edge of a few hills south of their position, a small pack of Beowulfs trotted slowly into the ruins; behind them were dozens of Ursa Majors. As if here to mark their territory, the Grimm slowly spread out, though, they were seen dashing in and out of buildings, almost as if they were searching for something.

"Temple. Now!" Keeping his voice low, the chieftain ordered the huntress, while tuning his ear piece. "Grimm pack, south entrance to the ruins. All teams meet in the entrance to the temple. Move!"

As luck would have it, the Grimm pack moved slowly enough to allow the majority of the group to gather at the structure's entrance. From what could be seen, at the head of the pack was an Ursa Major with a unique feature to its exoskeletal skull; a crescent moon shaped crest. The creature's gaze was on the Faunus gathering at the structure entrance. In an odd manner, it seemed more preoccupied with the Grimm combing the surrounding buildings rather than the multiple Faunus gathering near the temple. Though, its attention was soon brought to the hunters as multiple shots were fired within the ruins. Now, fully acknowledging the Faunus, it roared as loud as it could, a signal, for a swarm of Grimm to begin flooding from the hills towards the ruins.

"Chief! Spores, to the west!" All eyes were now turned to another entrance to the ruins where large, hulking Grimm shaped as if to resemble humans, but bloated and disgustingly deformed. Their speed was minimal, though, it was not their speed that worried the group of hunters; the Spores proceeded into the ruins, purposely falling one by one, exploding, and within their tar-like residue, more Grimm began to sprout from the remains. The swarm of Grimm was unexpected, and their sheer numbers sparked fear into the hearts of those present. It didn't take long for multiple skirmishes to break out, the chieftain's hunters within the ruins had begun to engage the Grimm, but their immense numbers snuffed out each life one by one. With the large swarm closing in, Ghira and his group, limited on ammunition, ordered charges to be set on the entrance. Any and all who didn't make it to the temple would be left behind. A dozen more arrived just as the charges were set, with a little over one-hundred sixty hunters left.

"Blow the chargers!" The chieftain barked, though, before any switch was flipped, a Dire, an oversized wolf, emerged from within the swarm, its increase in speed allowed the creature to overpass the Grimm swarm and just dash past the hunters as the chargers were detonated, sealing the entrance just as the swarm reached the door. While the dust and rubble settled on the sealed entrance, attention was now focused on the Grimm that made it pass them. Weapons were now drawn and aimed toward the Dire, however, the creature had pinned one of the huntresses, its jaw held her body still, firmly. Rather than rip her to pieces, it growled at the group of Faunus as a beast would to strangers in its territory.

"Joan!" One of the hunters called out, the man was held back by three others as the creature tightened its grip for those who dared move closer to him. The huntress yelped as she could feel the creature's fangs dig into her shoulder.

"Don't get too close to it, snipers, if you have a one-shot kill, take it!" The chieftain wasn't entirely willing to allow one of his own to die if he could prevent it, but Grimm weren't known for showing mercy, or show of thought. That is, until what occurred next.

"Stay your weapons!" The entire room fell silent, widened eyes were seen across the room. Without having to move its jaw too much, the Dire had spoken. Blood from its hostage dripped down its fangs and unto the floor.

A small few turned to their leader, wandering what was to be done next. Ghira gazed at his subordinate, clearly in pain, and losing blood. This beast didn't kill her, but wanted to reason, rather than die killing as many as a Grimm would normally do. He wondered if perhaps this could have something to do with the earthquake, and the ruins being uncovered. He made his way to the head of his group and gestured everyone to lower their weapons. Reluctantly, they did so, though, the creature showed no intention of releasing the captured huntress. The Dire began to back slowly into the inner hall of the structure.

"Wait-" Ghira had hoped to negotiate for his own

"Stay where you are!" The creature showed no intention of wanting to negotiate.

"You have one of mine, and she's injured. Let me help her." The chieftain hoped for reason and compromise, though with a Grimm, he wasn't sure if it was possible to hope for such luxuries.

"There is still time." It whispered to itself.

A sudden rumble, followed by a glowing light coming from the what looked like the main hall behind the Dire distracted it enough to make it ease its grip on the Faunus. She quickly slipped out and tried to run, only to have the creature grab her by the waist and carry her off in its mouth towards the center of the structure.

With little haste, Ghira and a selective few troops followed the creature, leaving the rest to stay behind and guard the entrance. Though as they reached the source of the light they were blinded momentarily before finding themselves in an ancient style altar. They watched as the Dire carried the injured Faunus to the altar. What occurred next, perhaps only mentioned in rumors or fairy tales, but what the group saw; the Dire enveloping itself in black tar and reshaping itself to a figure similar to a human. It remained covered with a hooded coat, a skull mask to keep its identity from being revealed. It picked up the injured Faunus and placed her on a stone altar. Surprisingly, they watched as it also healed her wounds, but not before taking some of her blood. It then began drawing symbols on her skin; some seemed more scribbles than anything else. The group approached slowly, and cautiously. They still couldn't believe what they had seen, but they needed to retrieve their comrade before this unknown could use her as a hostage.

The rumbling continued, dust and bits of rock fell from the ceiling as the unknown began speaking some form of language unknown to those hidden. The scene now played out as a religious ceremony, fears sparked of whether this would lead to some gruesome form of sacrifice.

The small group surrounded the altar, Ghira being the first to spring into action. "Halt, not another move!" He wielded a large battle axe, challenging the unknown creature himself while a few of the others tried to recover their friend.

In response, the unknown used concentrated aura pulses to send those selective few flaying back, his intent focused solely on assuring the Faunus wasn't moved. Taking only one second to face away from the chieftain, the unknown failed to dodge the axe held against its neck.

"This ends now; you will release my subordinate, identify yourself, and explain what is occurring here." The axe pressed closer towards the unknown's neck. "Now."

Before anyone could move an inch, a circular symbol revealed itself next to the altar. Slowly, the circular symbols unlocked…something beneath the floor, as the panels sunk into the floor and moved to opposite sides, another altar arose the pit. A stone coffin now stood alongside the altar, without moving, the unknown dropped the container of blood, allowing it to splatter across the surface of the coffin, it, eerily instant, seeped into the stone. The glowing marks, both on the unconscious huntress and the coffin shone brighter.

"Almost complete. A companion is needed." The unknown commented. As if responding to his words, a portion of the roof to the main hall was destroyed, the first to drop in was the Crescent Ursa Major. Its landing shook the ground, staggering the hunters, and despite its immense size, it moved with great speed. It knocked the chieftain away, injuring the Faunus. The others fired their weapons, to no effect against the large Grimm. Its roar echoed through the chamber.

As Ghira arose, the unknown slowly walk past him and up to the Grimm, the creature showing no hostility towards him.

"Convenient, but you'll do." Placing only a palm on the beast, the hunters watched as the Grimm, rather than strike down the unknown, allow whatever fate was bestowed upon it. In mere moments, it was dissolved into liquid and forced into the folds of the coffin. Upon the last of the liquid being absorbed into the stone, the markings on the coffin began to dim in glow and started to emit an odd aura. Odd in the sense that it was both threatening and comforting. Upon the dying down of the glowing light, the coffin began opening. The Faunus aimed their weapons towards the coffin, fear of whatever ritual was performed, and more so whatever was the outcome. Their fingers ready to press their triggers, the unknown made no sign of effort to cease their actions; rather, it stood and watched. Within mere seconds of the coffin opening, sounds of a crying child filled the ears of the now confused hunters. The unknown walked over to the coffin and reached in, within his palm was a small child, human in anatomy, though, that was before a small tail was seen swinging back and forth from the unknown's fingers. Traces of blond hair and sapphire blue eyes matching the huntress on the altar gave the chieftain an uneasy chill. The huntress began to regain conscious, upon the opening of her eyes; the child in the palms of the unknown was her first sight.

Noticing the awakening of the Faunus, the unknown retrieved from within his coat, a dagger, placing the tip of the blade against the child's back. As it did earlier; it began speaking in an unknown language, the enchantment formed a marking on the upper form of the small one's back. The howls and screeches of Grimm from the open ceiling brought forced all eyes on the Grimm that hovered over the entrance.

The unknown turned back to the child in his hands, a small chuckle made itself past his lips. "Forgive me halfling, you must not be found yet." He then turned to the Faunus on the altar; he walked up to her and offered her the child in his hands. No words were spoken, the huntress, glancing at the child, watching it giggle as its eyes focused on her. Hesitantly, she reached out and accepted the child, holding it closely to her chest. She gazed into its eyes and was unaware of a smile forming on her lips. The child cooed while its arms reached out to touch her face. Almost instantly, she found herself fond of the little one. The unknown backed away, walking to where the Ursa Major landed. It turned to the chieftain, "Do you wish to leave here with your remaining kin?"

Ghira steadied his balance, though, unable to raise his axe. "Do you intend to fight with us?"

"No." the unknown's form was once again covered in black tar; his form began to shift. This time, however, he grew in height, his legs became hinged digitigrade, two large wings sprouted, beneath were two smaller wings. Two horns sprouted from his forehead, deep crimson eyes, and a tail similar to the child in the huntress's arms. Long ebony hair and skin matched that of the Grimm. The hunters whom witnessed this were deeply in shock, an overwhelming sense of fear swelled in them as the beast finalized its transformation with the crackling of bones. **"You will not fight; by dawn the Grimm will be gone. You will leave then, and you must never return here."** The unknown readied himself; it glanced just once more to the child, sighed irritatingly, and with a forceful thrust; flew towards the open sky.

Ghira walked over to the stone altar to inspect the child in the woman's arms. Upon first sight, it did seem like the child could pass for a Faunus, but having seen the events that followed to this, they would've actually believed this child to be normal. Regardless, the chieftain wouldn't allow this; an unknown took one of his own, performed some form of ceremony, and this child was the result of some form of occult ritual. As he reached for the child, his huntress instinctively shifted away from the chieftain. Her arms held on to the little one tightly as she could sense the intent of her leader.

"Joan…"

"No." When the other hunters approached, she bared her fangs, threatening them to back away. "He's mine. It gave him to me." She referred to the unknown.

"You cannot keep it. We don't know what 'it' is. It is not safe; we cannot allow it near our people."

"He is but a child, Ghira. We can't just leave him here alone." Her argument fell on deaf ears as Ghira attempted once more to take the small one, only for Joan to bite his palm as he reached for the child. The chieftain yelled in pain, startling the little one, forcing him to cry.

"Chieftain…" one of the hunters approached Ghira, cautiously. "What if this child is akin to that creature? Perhaps it is unwise to dispose of it when the one whom created it has the strength to fight a swarm of Grimm, sir. Why not raise him as one of our own, to fight for us?"

"Are you suggesting we raise it to become a weapon?" Ghira's tone showed some slight annoyance, with just a hint of anger.

"Or at the very least, we be civil and not let a child die out here." the hunter argued, receiving nods from the hunters with them.

The chieftain sighed; he never assumed this reconnaissance would end this way. With families awaiting the return of these hunters, and with a modicum of curiosity as to what exactly this child was… "Fine, you may raise him…" as a smile widened across Joan's face, her chieftain added to his words. "But he will be raised in Kuo Kuana, where I will be keeping an eye on him. Should he give me any reason to suspect him as a threat, I won't hesitate to put him, permanently. Understood?" upon the Faunus nodding, the Chieftain gestured his group to head back and rejoin the others, though, not before gesturing them to keep silent of the whole ordeal. Feeling the need to keep this incident, and the boy, a tightly kept secret, he would keep the huntress down here until morning, after the rest of the hunters have gone ahead of them.

To the surviving hunters, this was a mission gone wrong, with many of their brethren lost to the Grimm. To a select few; it was a mission that led to mountains of questions, but with no way of seeking answers. The chieftain had Joan and her family moved to his hometown, allowing him to keep tabs on their new addition. Though, while he did fear whatever was that created him, or what exactly the boy was, he kept a select group of mercs on standby, should the need come.

 **-6 years later, Kuo Kuana-**

Six years following the incident within Menagerie's desert, many kingdoms gave their condolences for the lost hunters, while also offering to lead an investigation. The most annoying and insistent was Atlas, with an entire military and research division awaiting permission to enter the newly discovered ruins. Though, given the events that occurred there, the chieftain remained firm with his stand on branding the ruins off limits, while also declaring it a memorial site. It worked with keeping the other kingdoms out, but their persistence showed no end. Although, for a short period of time it did increase tourism, droves of people came, most were reporters who wanted an interview as to what exactly occurred. While mentions of Grimm swarms and a Dire were reported, none led back to the unknown whom either fought the Grimm and won, or chased them off. Regardless, Ghira felt…hoped he made the right decision in allowing the child to live amongst his people. The chieftain stood on his bedroom balcony, overlooking his home town. As his thoughts drifted from past events, a soft knock from the doorway brought his attention to a pair of ambers eyes looking at him shyly. He chuckled lightly before gesturing the small one to approach. Slowly, the child walked up to him, her eyes glued to the floor.

"Blake, is something wrong?" he asked, to which the little one shook her head. From the corner of the doorway, Ghira spotted a pair of sapphire eyes gazing cautiously over the doorway. It didn't take long for the gears to click, allowing a smile to appear on the man's lips. "Is there someone you want to introduce to me?" with a single nod from his quiet daughter, he laughed wholeheartedly and gestured the child by the doorway to come in. Hesitantly, the child walked in, his blue and white tunic weren't what caught the chieftain's attention, it was his sapphire blue eyes, golden blond hair, and his ebony tail swinging side to side behind him. For a second, Ghira had wondered if this was coincidence, or Oum simply trying to give him a hard time. Either way, he wasn't sure hope to feel about his daughter befriending this boy.

"And…you are?" He asked, keeping his tone at a bare minimum.

"J-Jaune, sir. Jaune Arc." The boy responded. He was intimidated, to say the least, but he kept himself from breaking down or stuttering too often.

"I see." Ghira walked up to the blond, kneeled to his level, he gave the boy a stern expression before eventually grinning. "It's a pleasure to meet you." the boy seemed more relaxed, though, he still showed some fear towards the chieftain. "So, did you meet him at the library?"

Blake nodded while keeping her eyes glued to the floor. In a way, Ghira was glad his daughter found a friend, considering most children left her alone on the account that she was the chieftain's daughter. Adding to that; she rarely socialized, for her to make a friend, and bring him home no less, was an incredible change. While he held some reserves against the boy, if he was to be a stepping stone for his daughter to break out of her shell, he'd at least support it.

"Dad…" Blake's voice, although meek and soft, was heard clearly by her father. "Can we go to your library, there's a book I want to show Jaune?" Ghira gave it a little thought before giving his daughter a small grin and nodding. As his daughter was about to leave while dragging Jaune by his tunic, he decided to make this a little more interesting.

"Blake?"

The small child stopped in her tracks, she glanced to her father who had a sly grin. "Aren't you forgetting someone else to introduce your friend too?"

Almost immediately, she shook her head as quickly as she could, her eyes begging not to bring _her_ up. While Ghira didn't want to willingly sentence his daughter to such embarrassment, he knew he'd get the short end if _she_ found out he hid this from her.

"Kali, guess who brought home a friend?" the Chieftain called out. As his daughter went pale and her friend growing ever more confused, the sound of running footsteps made the little one give her father a betrayed expression that asked the simple question. 'Why?'

"Sorry, kitten." While half apologizing, he couldn't deny the humor that came when his wife appeared in the doorway with a camera in hand. With Blake covering her face most of the time, and Jaune awkwardly smiling, Kali wasted no time gushing over her daughter and her new friend. To say she took 'many' pictures would be an understatement.

After taking her time to get to know her daughter's, Kali took both children with her to the library.

"Go easy on 'em honey." Ghira called out before she disappeared. When the thought of joining them occurred, a small tap on his sliding door brought the old chieftain's attention to an empty balcony. Though, upon glancing down, he noticed a leather book sitting idly outside. Cautiously, he opened the sliding door, retrieved the book. Hesitantly, he opened it, a fresh handwritten message awaited him.

 _He is growing well; I thank you for that, within this are the only answers I can afford to write down. The rest will be revealed soon, but for now, these are all I can give. There is a greater plan in motion, one that has been ongoing for far too long. In days to come, there will be peace. But nothing lasts forever._

 _-Didact_

Ghira returned inside, assuring his door was closed and locked, his fingers turned the page. One word caught his attention, a word he hadn't heard for a long time; something similar to a fairy tale, or a myth…and to some, even a holy meaning.

"The Oni."

* * *

 **Well, here it is, the revamp of She's me and I'm her. Obviously, it's been changed, drastically, more so to account for all the new info from these new seasons. I spent the better part of this month trying to revamp this story while also keeping to some of the aspects of the old. In short; while the beginning is switched up, the main story I had planned for the old will remain, though, the lore has been changed ever so slightly. Anyway, I'll be sure to have a new chapter up soon, this took a little long on an account of constant rewrites and unpleased with most of the samples I had planned for the revamp. On that note, thank you for reading and I hope you'll enjoy this reworked story.**


	2. First to leave

**\- Kuo Kuana, 9 years later-**

The blazing hot sun burned all without shelter, the scorching temperature left little want to move about. Though, those whose work revolved working outside made the choice of avoiding the tropical heat extremely limited. Few could stand the heat, fewer walked the streets, one such was the daughter of the territory's chieftain. Avoiding the heat, she stuck what little shade she found as she made her way to the northern mountain bordering the jungle and desert. Before entering the dense jungle, she glanced around her, assuring none would see her, and that none would follow her. After assuring herself, she dove into the thickets, jumping from one tree branch toward another, Blake wasted little time rushing to her checkpoint. Being the daughter of the chieftain, there were certain Intel she had access to, though, more often than not her father was unaware of her having knowledge of certain sensitive material, one such Intel she overheard was of a meeting occurring near the foot of the mountain. Curiosity prying at her, she snuck as close as she could to the supposed meeting point, awaiting both parties while remaining hidden within the treetops. The shade of the leaves eased the pain of being out in the scorching sun; the humid/somewhat cool breeze did little for comfort. The sounds of snapping branches and rustling leaves from the path leading to Kuo Kuana revealed her father, followed closely by a few armed guards, and, to her surprise, her childhood friend walking to the right side of his chieftain. While being high atop, her natural heightened hearing allowed her to pick up the conversation taking place below.

"Sir, remind me again why we're here?" Jaune asked as they stopped by the intended meeting place. The small group of guards dispersed to set a perimeter, leaving the chieftain and the boy, seemingly, alone. "It might not be the best idea to align with these people, the incoming reports from travelers and tourists have become too consistent to be considered rumors, sir."

"Perhaps, but that's why you're here; you'll be learning how to handle situations such as these. As of this moment, you're my right-hand for this meeting." The chieftain's intentions seemed to test the boy in politics, though; the blond feared putting him to test in this scenario wasn't a sane idea.

"Permission to question your sanity?"

"Denied." He replied, sternly. "Believe me, son, you'll need to learn from this."

"Why?"

"I need people I can trust to help my daughter when she takes up my mantle. You two may be at odds on separate issues, but I know my daughter respects your opinions. If she won't listen to me, then by the gods I hope she listens to you." Ghira's response shut the blond up, finding a bit of pride that his chieftain actually trusted him. Though, he and Blake did grow up together. Yet, they differed in personality as time passed; Blake became more involved with the Faunus Equality movement, even going so far as to join the White Fang, something both he and his chieftain were strongly opposed to. Jaune, on the other hand, grew up helping his sisters and mother around the family's blacksmith shop; forging weapons, armor, and various other trinkets. His view on the subject of the White Fang and Faunus treatment was simple; take action, but with no violence. It may have sounded weak to many, but the blond found no use in starting a pointless war and dragging countless youths to their deaths for an outcome that should've happened at the very beginning; sitting down to negotiate. Politics weren't his strong point, though; he did pick up a few tricks on bartering from his eldest sister. Before either could continue their conversation, the rustling of leaves from the direction of the mountain caught their attention. Both stood ready, hands itching to grasp their weapons. The sight of White Fang initiates emerging from the thickets left the two at ease, for the moment. Though, these recruits weren't exactly what either of them expected to see.

"And Taurus?" The chieftain asked, receiving two recruits bowing their heads.

"We're sorry; sir, but Taurus could not make it. Rather, he sent us in his stead, with this..." One of the recruits removed a paper scroll from her satchel and offered it to the chieftain. Reluctantly, Ghira received the scroll, only to pass it to the blond. Confused, Jaune glanced to both the equally confused recruits, then to his chieftain.

"Are you not going to read it?" One of the recruits asked the chieftain, only to have the man chuckle lightly as his first response. "I agreed to meet with Taurus over plans for Menagerie's support and further involvement with the White Fang, however, his lack of appearance does little to sway me to believe he is serious about acquiring our aid."

The two recruits glanced to each other nervously before turning back to the chieftain.

"What would you suggest?" Ghira's questioned was aimed at Jaune, to which not only was the focus of the two recruits, but that of the spy watching from above.

Given a moment to wonder, the blond gave his best response to the situation.

"Perhaps it would be better to hold off on negotiations, taking into account recent events, I'm not so sure I feel Menagerie would be safe aligning itself with the White Fang with all the controversies surrounding them at the moment."

"Hey! That's just the kingdoms and their propaganda! They're all lies!" One of the recruits shouted.

"Then why is it that tourists and travelers who encountered the White Fang all say the same thing the media reports? Even Faunus from outside Menagerie say the White Fang is engaged in terrorist acts. Would you denounce the words of our brethren, the ones you claim to fight for?" Jaune responded, leaving the recruits both visibly irritated. "It would be wise not to affiliate ourselves with the White Fang; they're grossly outnumbered, outgunned, and built on fading anger. And with them being a target of the kingdoms, making other powers, with military might, our enemy would only subject ourselves to the possibility of an invasion. Lacking a strong military, we'd be an occupied territory to any kingdom."

"Hmm, a fair point." Ghira commented, leaving the two recruits with an itch of fear that they failed their assignment.

"Argh, what does he know? He's probably lived here his entire life, pampered and spoiled. He has no idea of the hardships we face out in the rest of Remnant!" The female recruit argued.

Jaune, responded as calmly as he could. "That doesn't mean we'd turn a blind eye to our own people. But the fact of the matter is; I'm not going to vote in favor of starting a war with humans solely based on the actions of a few."

Visibly, the recruits were angered that a boy would denounce their cause, more so that he had some level of respect from the chieftain. Either he was to be an advisor for the next chieftain, or Ghira was showcasing the one he had in mind to take his place. Either way, the meeting didn't proceed the way the militant group intended.

As Ghira and Jaune made their way back to their town, the chieftain sported a half-prideful smirk. It made the blond uncomfortable, though; he knew it meant his chieftain was happy about something.

"Penny for your thoughts, sir?"

Ghira stopped in his tracks, turned to the blond and, somewhat roughly, patted his back. "While that meeting didn't go the way I thought it would, you didn't get emotional like those recruits. You stuck to a calm demeanor, and showed civility, you'll make a great advisor to Blake. Or an exceptional blacksmith, either way, I'm proud of the man you're becoming, son." Again, a ticking feeling itched the blond the wrong way having the word son referred to him. As if it wasn't enough "I know this isn't a subject your mother would speak to me about, but have you heard from your father?"

"...no, sir. Not since he walked out on us." Jaune responded, his eyes glued to the ground. "And, I'm not certain I want to work as a blacksmith."

To this both the chieftain and to the little spy still above them found themselves partially startled with his sudden decision. "Really? Well, you have seven sisters; one of them is bound to take up the family trade. Then I take it you wish to take me up on my offer and train to become an adviser?"

"No, sir. With all due respect, I appreciate all you've done for me, but after consideration; I've decided to become a hunter." Neither the chieftain nor Blake could've predicted his decision to become a hunter, considering he never had any motivation to do so, or perhaps, they never took notice if there was a motive for him to make this decision. However, unlike Blake, Ghira showed no pleasure with this decision.

"Those recruits were right, I've lived here my whole life; I don't know what it's like to live with their hardships. I want to help people, and I feel I'd make a hell of a lot more of a difference as a hunter instead of a politician." Jaune argued.

"I'd have to strongly disagree with you there. Words can carry more worth than any weapon, should you know what to say, and when to say. Regardless, there are so many ways to contribute to aiding the people of Remnant, there is no need for you to risk your life out there, son."

"Don't call me son." Jaune warned, shocking the spy above, but did little to derail the chieftain in his rant.

"This war against the Grimm has enough volunteers. It's hard enough fighting those wretched beasts, but trust is a luxury you can ill afford to lack in Remnant. Isolation isn't an answer either, but at the moment, Menagerie is a better option for our people."

"So you're saying I'd make more of a difference discussing instead of acting? Oh sure, people always have faith in politicians and their influence over the laws."

"Watch your tone, son."

"I'm not your son."

"What I'm saying is that you'd be more useful here at home. Too many already die meaninglessly, and for what? On that note, you have little to no training, how do you expect to be allowed entry into an academy?"

"You're right, I have no combat experience, but if you-"

"No."

"If you train me, in time I can rise with my peers, whom I'll build trust with, and make an actual difference in the world."

"Or you could die! And we need you alive!" Ghira's voice rose as his words did little to deter the boy from his want to train as a hunter.

"I am more than willing to die for an actual cause!" Jaune raised his voice in turn, further angering his chieftain.

"I need you alive. Son, Blake needs you alive."

"CALL ME SON ONE MORE TIME!" His outburst silenced any further words that could've come from his chieftain, Blake remained shocked and worried that Jaune actually raised his voice to her father. Ghira's expression was initially that of shock, following was a visibly controlled anger. Jaune never raised his voice to this level, the widened eyes the blond had showed he snapped without thinking. Withholding whatever anger possible, Ghira gestured to the town. "Go home, Jaune. That is an order from your chieftain."

"But sir, I-"

"Go. Home." Ghira tone sent shivers down the blond's spine before the large Faunus began walking back to Kuo Kuana. Jaune, on the other hand, remained where he stood throughout their conversation. He regretted raising his voice to his chieftain, but, he couldn't help but wonder why Ghira don't want him to leave. Sure, he and Blake grew up together, and Jaune spent a lot of time being tutored under Blake's father. Even then, it didn't make sense to him why the old man was so invested. Although, in all honesty, Jaune counted himself lucky he wasn't Ghira's actual child, more so after the old man found out his daughter joined the new White Fang.

Rather than head home, Jaune walked to the shore to watch the waves. The smell of the ocean calmed him, though; the sudden arrival of his childhood friend left him mildly uneasy. While the two respected one another's opinions, the subject of Faunus equality was one she would never back down on her position from. Knowing her and her tendency to gather information on subjects she probably shouldn't know, he gave a guess that she was spying on their meeting and heard his choice of words towards Menagerie aiding the White Fang. For now, though, rather than talk, she smiled and sat quietly next to him. Although he wasn't the type to enjoy prolonged silence as much as she did, at the moment, he just needed some peace and quiet for a bit. The two teens watched the waves rise and recede for a few minutes for the ember-eyed teen spoke up.

"So…you yelled at my dad." Immediately, Jaune's head lowered, a nervous smile expressed itself. "He has a point you know; you're not exactly the fighting type. How do you expect to be a hunter if you haven't even unlocked your aura?"

"I really don't need two Belladonna's coming down on me today." Jaune muttered, not quietly enough. His remark earned him a light smack to the back of his head.

"My dad can be…difficult, but he's just trying to keep you from making a choice that could cost you your life."

"This is coming from the girl who signs up to work with extremists." Blake's response was a harsh glare, though; it had little effect on the boy. "Don't give me that face, you know as well as I do; ever since your dad stood down from his position, the group's actions have been doing nothing but giving reasons to distrust Faunus."

"That doesn't mean we should just sit around and take their abuse."  
"Abuse?" the boy laughed, condescendingly at her statement. "Don't even start with that, let me remind you, chieftain's daughter! I doubt anyone on this continent has, directly to your face, abused you without having your father and his men come down on them. And even then, neither of us has had to deal with abuse and being shunned on a daily basis."

"So we should just look the other way and ignore the cries of our people?"

"I never said that."

"Then why did you tell my dad not to aid the White Fang?"

"What was that?" the two teens jumped to their feet upon hearing the newcomer. The blond's hand was gripping his sword, having had minor sparring lessons with his sister and forged his own weapons. Blake, similarly, held the gripping of her weapon, relaxing herself as her eyes fixed on her father. That is, until he spoke. "Blake, you were following us?" His tone was mild; he seemed to have cooled down from earlier. Or, at least the blond hoped he did. Blake shifting her eyes every which way except her directly at her father's eyes said enough. Though, his expression hardened as he turned his attention to the blond.

"I thought I told you to go home."

"I prefer being by the ocean, sir."

"Yes, your mother told me once." Ghira commented before sitting between the two teens. He gestured the two to join him, hesitantly, they did. For a moment, they remained silent, again. For them, this kind of thing was new, Ghira never really allowed for moments of silence unless he was asleep. And yet, he seemed to have no qualms with sitting between them in silence, watching the ocean waves.

"Both of you…" He uttered. "…are putting too much stress on an old man." He turned to his daughter, then to Jaune. "There has been enough talk of White Fang today. For the rest of the day, we'll spend it trying not getting on each other's nerves."

"Mom's orders?" Blake asked.

"She gave me quite an earful." Ghira responded, rather quickly. "Now then, before anything else, Jaune, you and I need to speak." The chieftain turned to his daughter, uttering clearly. "Alone."

"But dad…"

"Blake, wait for me at home." Reluctantly, she nodded, walking over to Jaune.

"We're not done. I'll see you later." She hugged him, as he returned the embrace; he felt something being slipped into his back pocket. He blushed mildly, only to have Ghira direct him toward the opposite direction. The man glanced many times behind them and towards the trees, searching for any sign that his daughter was tailing them. After assuring she had indeed not been following them this time, Ghira reached into his persons, retrieving an item he never allowed to leave his hands since he first acquired it. The man seemed to struggle with the idea of sharing the contents of the journal, revealing a secret he swore to never show the boy. What possessed him to consider and do so now was beyond him, however, knowing teenagers; Jaune would either train in secret, or learn to live with whatever he learned from the journal. Although, as a safety precaution, within hidden in his persons, a loaded pistol laid waiting in case whatever the journal foretold didn't result in too drastic consequences. While the old Faunus was ready to do whatever necessary to protect his home, his mind would, without doubt, hesitate to actually pull the trigger on the boy. This could end in many scenarios; the one Ghira favored was a long shot, but with the White Fang growing ever influential, having already caught his daughter in their grasp, to have a Jaune or any of his own on their side would only cause a massacre on the battlefield.

"Jaune, if I came off as too invested in your life, understand; I've treated you as I would my daughter. Your mother was a close friend of mine, on our last assignment during an incident 15 years ago she sustained injuries she has not recovered from. The effects have also affected you, greatly."

Touching on this subject wasn't something anyone, having known the blond, ever touched upon without showing a great level of respect and delicacy. "Yea, I noticed; my mother needed a cane to walk, she barely had any strength left in her as time went by, her husband, my father, decided to just walk out only three years after the twins were born. And to top it all off I had to sit by her bedside as she died! Chief, sir, if there's a point to this conversation, I respectfully ask you to get to it." Jaune's tone, while not completely hostile, left little room for patience on the subject.

Without needing to utter a word, Ghira grasped the journal one last time before offering to the blond. Jaune, initially confused, took the journal, out of curiosity.

"This journal was given to me by someone who calls himself; the Didact. The name sounded familiar, and after researching a few scriptures from temples in Volcanium, something interesting came up; an order, of sorts, made up of beings now believed long gone from Remnant."

"Relevance, sir?"

"…this order still exists. The scrolls were hard to read, considering the language they were written in is rarely spoken, if taught at all. From what I picked up, this order has only a certain number of members, one number did pop up constantly; seven. As for history, well, similar scrolls mentioning them date back almost five thousand years. Their blood, for all that time, has lived on…and now, there is only a handful…you being one of them." The amount of confusion the young man felt kept him from responding. "All I know comes from the journal. This book will answer some questions, and leave you with many more. The only contact I've had with the Didact was this book and when he left you in your mother's hands."

With widened eyes, the blond stared at his chieftain in shock, as if wondering, hoping, this was some sick joke. When Ghira made no indication of humor, the blond was forced to let the sudden information he was given sink in. Predicting what might occur next, the chieftain continued. "I know this all seems sudden, nothing will make sense in the beginning. As of now, I only have one location this book refers to in terms of the Didact's location. I understand if you don't believe me…" Ghira reached once more into his persons and retrieved an envelope. The old Faunus gazed towards the ocean, now calm but never quiet. "…In this, I've saved a bit of lien for some time now. It's enough to get you to Volcanium, the names of my contacts will also be in here. A boat leaves for Sidgier tonight, after which you'll need to take an airship to reach the settlement; Romdall. From there, you'll need to travel to Volcanium by foot."

The blond glanced to the envelope, then to his chieftain. "First you didn't want me to leave, and now…"

"If I had a choice in the matter, neither you nor my daughter would be setting foot off this continent. The only reason I'm telling you this is because I'm giving you an option on what to do with your life. So, in the envelope is a travel pass and enough lien to help you get by for the first year. If you decide to go, understand this; there is only enough to get you to Volcanium, gather what you can from the temples and my contacts, and then you return home, son."

"i-i-i…don't…this is…I…I don't understand. So, what, does this mean I'm not a Faunus? Am I human? Neither? All you've told me is that I belong to some 'order' that's thousands of years old…that doesn't answer anything." Jaune sat down, his head swimming with more questions as seconds passed. He had no idea what to make of this, nor did he have an exact answer for Ghira's offer.

"Son, read the journal. Learn whatever you can from this, and if it catches your interest, then you have two options; you board the boat bound for Sidgier and you go on this year-long trip. Or, you stay home and I tutor you on the job I need you for." As Jaune took the envelope, his eyes focused more on the journal than on the parcel filled with currency. 'If it catches your interest'? Damn right it catches his interest. Not only was Jaune extremely curious, but to receive information like this, and permission to leave the continent when earlier that day the two had a scuffle over his want to become a hunter.

"I'll…have to think it over…sir." Jaune wasn't able to make a decision, not yet; he needed to read the journal first. Acknowledging his response, Ghira ruffled the boy's head, and made his way back to the village. Jaune sat down on the shore, upon opening the first page, his mind blocked out the entire world as he focused solely on the literature before him.

Upon turning the page, small detailed illustrations and neatly hand written notes were presented to him. Figures of creatures of abnormal heights, compared to human-like figures, showed a closer relation to a Faunus, and yet, appeared more animal in nature. An oddly unique feature was the number of horns on each figure; the three horned creatures had, rings on the base of their horns, and piercings to top their features. Compared to the other two figures, it seemed to be the tallest. Another figure, one with two horns, bore body and face paint, primarily ear piercings, and shorter than the last group of figures. One horned creatures, primarily decorated in jewels and piercings, medium size compared to the other two creatures of similar anatomy. Though, one significant difference was the wings the one-horned creatures sported. The text below read aloud in Jaune's head.

 _'_ _Kin of the void, descendants of the precursors, living and united through a simple creed; we give birth to sin, curse many, bless few, devour all. We are; the Oni. A rather easy ethic to follow, when taught by the shamans. By mind of the Matron; we create. In hands of the Didact; we rise. Through teachings of the Professor; we are guided. With sight of the Librarian; we foresee. These words were embedded into our culture, forged into our youths, and sparked fear into the hearts of our enemies. That, unfortunately, was only through the first era.'_

-Night Time, Kuo Kuana-

With midnight approaching, the final boat leaving the port departed. Leaning against the railing, a hooded blond watched the lights of his home town grow ever smaller. Jaune had decided to take his chieftain's offer and go on this little venture. Although, what placed him in hot water was the fact that he left without saying a thing to either his sisters or his chieftain. Ghira had given him permission to leave, though, what he would be surprised to find was the envelope of lien returned to him, placed upon his study's desk. The only missing parchment was the list of contacts. Using what bartering techniques he was taught by his eldest sister, diplomacy learned from his chieftain, and pickpocket picked up from Blake, the blond had a tiny shred of confidence that he could make it to Volcanium. Once the lights from Kuo Kuana faded from his vision, he retreated from the railing, moving to the upper decks of the boat. Knowing he couldn't turn back now, the blond had read as much as he could from the journal in his knapsack. There were many things he could relate to, oddly enough, so much so that he needed to learn more about this 'Oni' order. What caught his attention was one of the markings under the subject title; Spires. There was a marking similar to the 'birthmark' on the upper half of his back. The name of the marking was what lingered in his mind; Doctor. While he didn't read too much into the journal, he still wanted to learn more. In all honesty, his sisters would manage on their own; the majority of them were adults in their own respect. Blake was with the White Fang, so there was a chance, if she ever traveled for overseas operations, there could be chance they would run into each other again. However, she might not be too happy he left without saying so much as a goodbye. Still, he didn't want to be limited in his travel, Jaune was going to reach Volcanium, but on his own terms.

As he leaned back against a wall on the upper deck, a figure stopped in their patrol. "Hey kid, it's warmer inside. Don't you want to go in?"

"I'm fine out here."

"Your loss, you'll be freezing your taters off in a bit." The patrol waved off before descending to the lower deck.

Feeling an itch in his back pocket, the blond reached into his pants and retrieved a crumpled letter. The small parchment was what Blake slipped in before she left home. Feeling a hint of regret and fear, Jaune took out the journal and used the envelope as a bookmark.

"I'll read this later, I promise, Blake." After stuffing the book back into his persons, he glanced to the night sky, enjoying the view of the stars and feeling the cold breeze hit his face. As his eye lids began to close, one final thought passed through his mind.

"So now the bastard orphan leaves his home. I wonder what's waiting for me."

 **And here is the second chapter, im sorry, i wanted to do a weekly update considering how far behind we are on the story line, but i had to make a quick rewrite of this chapter. With this, we'll get pick p the pace in later chapters. thank you for reading, until next time.**


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